Hame-fastener



(No Model.)

I. W. & H. L. BOWMAN.

HAME FASTENER.

N0. 359',494. PatentedhMar. 15 1887.,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA WV. BOWVMAN AND HARRY L. BOWVMAN, OF ELKTON, OHIO.

HAM E-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,494, dated March 15,1887.

I Application filed December 4, 1886. Serial NO.'220,709. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, IRA W. BOWMAN and HARRY L. BOWMAN, both residents of Elkton, in the county of Golumbiana and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in HameFasteners; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a side view of our improved heme-fastener, showing a portion of thehanies to which it is attached. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same; aud'Fig. 3 is a representation in perspective of the several parts of our fastener separated.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout all the figures.

Our invention has relation to haine-fasteners; and it consists in the improved construc tion and combination of parts constituting the same, aswill be hereinafter fully set forth.

The object of this invention is to so improve upon metallic hame-fastenerssuch as are provided with a hooked lever, hook-plate, and eye-plateas to afford a housing for the free end of the hooked lever, and to provide means for keeping the eye-plate parallel to the hook-plate when the hook is in the eyes near the inner end of the eye-plate. We accomplish these objects as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- A designates the hookrplate, formed at one end with an inwardlycurved hook, by means of which it is secured to the lower end of one of the hames B. The other end of the plate is formed into an outwardly-curved'hook, in which is cut a slot for the reception of one end of the hooked lever O, which end being laterally reduced and formed into a corresponding hook is pivoted by the pintle D to the outer end of the slotted hook. Thus the hooked portion of said lever becomes the short arm of the lever, and the other portion the long arm by which it is operated. In

being thus pivoted the inner edge of the hooked portion restsslightly in advance of the inner edge of the slotted hook of the hook plate, so that when the lever is coupled with the eye-plate E said plate bears directly against said lever below its pivotal point,

thereby causing the outer end of the lever to v bear firmly against the opposite end of the lever plate. Upon this end of the leverplate is the pocket for the protection of the free end of the lever. Said pocket is formed by flanges H projecting from the plate at the sides of the end of the lever, and extending sufficiently beyond said end to completely shield it from being caught on any thing against which the horse may rub.

The eye-plate is formed with ahook at one end, by which it is attached to the han1e,and between this and the opposite end it is provided with a series of eyes for the insertion of the hooked lever. By providing said plate with a series of eyes hames to which the fastener is applied can be readily adj listed to different-sized collars. When the fastener is so adjusted that the hook passes through the eye nearest the attached end of the eye-plate, said plate tends to draw at an angle to the hook-plate, thereby causing its outer end to project laterally and rub the collar or pole-strap. To overcome this tendency, a stud, F, is formed upon the hook-plate, which shall enter one of the outermost eyes and keep the two plates parallel.

To haines which are already provided with rings at their lower ends this fastener may be immediately attached; but to those vhames which have not such rings we first attach clevises G to their lower ends, and then the fasteners to the clevises.

Having thus fully described our invention, we. claim In a hame'fastener, the combination, with a lever-plate having a hook at one end upon one side aud'two flanges upon the opposite side, and having a slot-ted hook at the other end upon the same side as the flanges, and a stud intermediate of said slotted hook and the flanges and upon the same sideof the plate, of a lever hinged to said slotted hook, and an eyeplate having a series of holes and a hook at one end.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereunto affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

IRA W. BOIVMAN.

. HARRY L. BOWMAN;

\Vitnesses:

F. M.-BENNER,

ALLEN A. BAMsEY.

ICO 

